Description
In 1803, the Louvre was renamed the Napoleon Museum. When Napoleon invaded Italy, he seized around six hundred prized Classical and Renaissance sculptures and paintings to bring back to France. The goal of this was to unite the greatest artworks in France, a nation “freed from despotism” and allow the “products of human genius” to culminate in Paris; Napoleon also knew the accumulation of art had worked for French kings of the past to aggrandize oneself and conjure an image of political power (1). The objects he looted filled what would become the Louvre Museum. However, after his defeat at the Battle of Waterloo, Napoleon’s adversaries demanded the return of their stolen artwork. About half of the Italian paintings made it back to its original owners; the other half, including Veronese’s famous “Wedding Feast at Cana” (currently on display at the Louvre), remained in France. In total, nearly 5,000 objects were sent back to their original owners (2). Thus, Napoleon played a major role in establishing the Louvre as a center for accumulation of great art and in acquiring its core collection. According to Vivien Richard, who heads the department studying the history of the Louvre, Napoleon “unquestionably founded the Louvre Museum as we know it today, with all the richness and variety of its collections…its mission was to enrich its collections and to be encyclopedic, and that mission prevails to this day” (3). Napoleon also made additions to the Louvre to house the hoards of art he brought back from conquests. He hired Reymond and Percier as well as Fontaine to create a museum dedicated to Antiquity to open in 1800. Renovations included adding a staircase and hallway leading to the Salon Carré and adding overhead lighting and double archways supported by columns to the Great Gallery.
Napoleon’s administration also bought and commissioned numerous French paintings for the Louvre, many of which are considered masterpieces. These include “Napoleon at Eylau” by Gros, “Empress Josephine in Malmaison” by Prud'hon, “The Coronation” by David, and “The Wounded Cavalryman” by Géricault.
1. Farah Nayeri, “The Masterpieces That Napoleon Stole, and How Some Went Back,” New York Times (New York, NY), June 9, 2021, https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/09/arts/design/napoleon-looted-art.html/.
2. “Louvre Museum, First Empire” Napoleon.org, Fondation Napoléon, accessed May 8, 2022, https://www.napoleon.org/en/magazine/places/louvre-museum-first-empire/.
3. Nayeri, “The Masterpieces That Napoleon Stole.”
Source
“Louvre Museum, First Empire.” Napoleon.org. Fondation Napoléon. Accessed May 8, 2022. https://www.napoleon.org/en/magazine/places/louvre-museum-first-empire/.
Nayeri, Farah. “The Masterpieces That Napoleon Stole, and How Some Went Back.” New York Times (New York, NY), June 9, 2021. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/09/arts/design/napoleon-looted-art.html/.